Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Lashe

I kept some distance between Anna and me. “Distance” was a relative term in our situation. The quarters were so close it was impossible to not bump into one another at every turn and I could not completely ignore the urges that pounded through me. Every time I saw her, I wanted to touch her. Every time I touched her, I wanted to kiss her. And so on.

But Anna was very correct about one thing. I knew her very well. I knew her likes and dislikes. I knew the way her voice changed pitch when she was uneasy and the way she started using short sentences when she was angry. I knew when she had a new male companion by the way she styled her hair. I knew the kind of jokes she laughed at and the kind of humor she found disgusting.

She did not know me at all, and that was my fault. I could not blame her for hesitating with me. I didn’t think I’d ever laughed in her presence. I had taken pains over the last five years to hide my feelings and even my personality. I’d certainly never shared with her my deep homesickness for Destra or the loneliness I felt on the lunar space station between trips back to my home world.

I was determined now to show her who I was. When I was not working on the ship’s systems and monitoring the asteroid’s surface conditions, we talked. It took time to reboot the shuttle’s systems every time I attempted a system repair. That meant plenty of waiting. I made use of every moment of it and she did not spurn my company. I tried not to read too much into the way her eyes brightened when I approached her or the smile she had on her lips when I spoke to her. When I sat near her, she did not pull away. I considered that a hopeful sign.

We could not just sit and wait for help. We might be too far away for the distress signal to reach anyone and it was even possible that the life form in the asteroid could somehow block it. We had to get the ship up and running ourselves in case help never came.

“Tell me about your parents,” she asked at one point, gingerly nibbling one of the dwindling meal choices we had. “Did they miss you when you became my transport operator?”

“My parents did not survive the attack on our Solas,” I replied. “I’m speaking of the one that originally blew all seven apart and separated my people for a time.”

I made a placating gesture when her face crumpled with pain and she shook her head, murmuring, “Oh, no.”

“It’s was a long time ago,” I said. “Many, many Destrans lost their lives and our Solas took great damage. I was a mature warrior when that happened. Not a child. I accepted their loss and I grieved.”

My words did not take the furrow from her brow. “But your parents were killed,” she said. “That’s just awful. I don’t know if I would be able to get over such a sudden loss, especially if you were close.”

“You don’t get over it,” I said, thinking through my own feelings on the matter. “But you continue going, and with time, the pain eases.” I ran my thumb over my jaw, thinking back on the days following that terrible attack. “I was a warrior with battles to fight and a Sola to protect. Grief and anger fueled some of my determination to keep safe those who remained.”

“I imagine you were not alone either,” she said.

“I was not. Many lost loved ones. Young and old and those in the prime of their life. We were fortunate to survive. And it was also our responsibility to stay alive and keep our civilization going.”

“What were your parents like?” she asked delicately.

“They were good parents.” I allowed a smile to curve my lips. It was easy to smile now, remembering them. For a long time, remembering my parents only brought fresh pain. “My mother was very funny. She could find the humor in almost any situation. And my father was also a warrior. He was good-natured. Not the best at handling disagreements, as he dodged them, especially with my mother. Imperfect, but kind and just.”

She curled her feet beneath her in a crisscross and nibbled dry protein crisps as she sipped a mug of weak tea. Even with the water recirculation system in the shuttle, we had lost a lot when the irradiated dust damaged the ship’s internal systems. For every system I got back online, another one gave me error messages. Still, we were making progress, slowly. Progress personally, as well.

“Did you have siblings?” she asked.

“No. It was just me. Destrans do not tend to have huge families, so it takes some time for our population to grow. That’s also because the Sola has to grow with us and they take centuries to reproduce.” I chuckled. “But our birth rates have improved now that we have a new planet.”

“It’s hard to believe the progress that’s been made in six years,” she said.

“With humans as our allies, we’re safer now than we’ve been in recorded history.” I smiled at her. “And we have the most qualified ambassador we could hope for.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, stop it. Half the time I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m learning as I go.”

“Aren’t we all? You represent both your people and mine with honor and fairness. That’s one reason why you are beloved among my people.”

Her blue eyes clashed with mine. “And I am beloved by you? ”

“Of course.” I grinned. “You are my fated mate.”

She dropped her gaze. “I don’t want to hurt you, Lashe.”

“If you do, you do.” I tilted her chin up. “But thank you for the chance to win you. And I will try.”

Her lips curved. “I like you. I find you attractive.” She said that last bit shyly with pink-stained cheeks. “It feels strange to say that after we’ve been working together all this time, but I always thought you were, you know. Hot .”

“Hot?” I smiled. “Is that your official description of me?”

She let out a laugh. “One of them. Up there with serious and mysterious. I’ve since added kind, brave, honest and sexy to the list.”

I leaned back, rubbing my chin. “I’m not off to a bad start.”

“No.” She cocked her head with an evaluating eye. “You’re not. And I know that the mating marks are supposed to indicate that it’s a match for both people, not just the Destran with the marks. I’m aware of how all that works and, well, let’s just say I’m open to possibilities.”

She couldn’t have said a more welcoming thing. I felt my mouth stretch into the widest smile I’d made in a long time. “I couldn’t ask for more.” I shifted closer and so did she. Just as I was about to reach out and touch her, an alarm screamed from the operator’s station.

“Sorry to interrupt,” said Stelis’ voice. “But we have a situation.”

I jumped to my feet and so did Anna. “What’s going on?”

“Come up to the front and see,” said Stelis. “It appears we’re sinking.”